Back to the Future: The 2002 Futures Game World Team

So, yesterday, I looked at the 2002 MLB Futures Game, and I looked at where the members of team USA were today, my findings were as follows:

Six of the players are completely out of baseball.

14 of the players are currently in the Majors.

Five players are plying their trade in the minors.

So for part two, I'm going to focus on the World Team that defeated Team USA 5-1 on July 9, 2002. Before you continue reading, take a guess whether there are currently more or less than 14 MLB players from the 2002 World Team. I'm guessing there will be less than the 14.

Players out of Major League Baseball

Edwin Almonte—Currently pitching in independent baseball, Almonte did appear in the Major Leagues briefly in 2003 with the New York Mets. However, after achieving an 11-plus ERA, he was quickly demoted. After early promise, he pitched just over 11 innings in Major League Baseball.

Hee-Seop Choi—Once a highly regarded player, he now plays with the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). He was last seen in the Majors playing for the Dodgers in 2005. He did spend some time at Pawtucket in 2006, but he eventually went home.

Victor Diaz—Diaz was last seen playing for the Texas Rangers; however, at the start of the 2009 season, he, like Choi, joined the KBO where he plays for the Hanwha Eagles.

Gerrardo Garcia—After the 2006 season, there is no record of Garcia playing baseball. He is probably pitching in the Mexican League.

Franklyn German—After being bounced around this season, German was released by the Chicago White Sox on July 10, 2009. He is currently a free agent, so if there are any general managers out there, give him a call.

Seung Song—I last saw Song pitching for South Korea in the Beijing Olympics, but he has not played MLB baseball in years. To the best of my knowledge, he is playing in the KBO with Choi and Diaz.

John Stephens—He has not pitched in the Major Leagues since 2006, when he pitched for the Baltimore organization.

Tony Alvarez—When your crowning moment is marrying Miss Venezuela 2002, you know your baseball career has not panned out. After making only 38 MLB appearances, he was last seen with Baltimore's AAA affiliate in 2006

Ricardo Rodriguez—He was last seen pitching in the Golden Independent League in 2008.

Players Currently in Major League Baseball

Angel Berroa—Berroa has flipped between AAA and MLB for the better part of his career. Although batting .316 at AAA this season, with the Yankees, he is hitting just .136 in 23 at-bats.

Miguel Cabrera—As predicted, Cabrera turned into a star.  He is currently playing with the Detroit Tigers. This season, he is hitting .321 with 18 HR and 50 RBI.

Omar Infante—Infante has been a solid Major League player. He is currently playing with the Atlanta Braves where he is hitting .349. However, he has only played in 29 games this season.

Jose Lopez—Currently playing with the Seattle Mariners, Lopez is hitting .256 with 12 homers and 50 RBI.

Justin Morneau—Canadian Morneau will be representing the Twins at the All-Star Game this season. Plus, he has been a constantly dangerous hitter since 2004. Morneau is currently batting .310 with 21 HR and 70 RBI.

Jose Reyes—Although plagued with injuries this season, Reyes has solidified himself as one of the premier leadoff hitters in today's game. He has only appeared in 36 contests this season, but he does have 301 stolen bases in his career, highlighted by 78 stolen bags in 2007.

Francis Beltran—Beltran has spent most of his career in AAA, but he has been called up to the Majors on numerous occasions. This includes his recent call-up with the Detroit Tigers where he holds a 4.85 ERA.

Jorge De La Rosa—Currently playing with the Colorado Rockies, he has earned a 6-7 record and a 5.08 ERA in 2009.

Francisco Liriano—An ultra-talented pitcher who has struggled with injuries, Liriano is currently 4-9 with a 5.47 ERA. However, he showed his talent in 2006 where he was 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA.

Francisco Rodriguez—He is one of the best closers in Major League Baseball, and if I was not worried about Yankee fans, I would say he is the best. He had a record 62 saves last season for the Angels.  Currently, he is playing with the Mets where he has 22 saves and a 1.73 ERA.

Victor Martinez—Martinez is one of the premier hitting catchers in baseball. Currently playing with the Indians, he is batting .294 with 14 HR and 59 RBI.

Shin-Soo Choo—He has been one of Cleveland's better hitters this season—.296 average with 13 homers and 54 runs batted in.

Andres Torres—He has spent time in the Major Leagues with the Giants this season, hitting .258 with two home runs and 11 RBI

Players Currently in Minor League Baseball

Justin Huber—I was beginning to think that we wouldn't have a single player in this category. Huber is currently hitting .285 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI at the Twins Triple-A affliate. He has previous MLB experience with the Royals and Padres.

Willy Mo Pena—Despite his years of MLB experience, he is playing for AAA Buffalo in the New York Mets' farm sytem. He is currently hitting .276 with 5 HR and 21 RBI.

So, in the end:

Nine players are out of baseball completely.

14 players are currently in baseball.

Two players are currently in the minors.

So, although more World Team players are out of baseball than USA players, both Team USA and the World Team currently have 14 MLB players, respectively.

To conclude, the 2002 World Team was truly fantastic!